Dream and Valkyries Leave the Court for the Anthem Again in WNBA Finals Game 2

The Atlanta Dream and the Golden State Valkyries were not on the court for the national anthem before Game 2 of the WNBA Finals at Chase Center on Monday night. Both teams left the floor less than a minute before Alanis Morissette sang the anthem, and both came back seconds after she finished, according to Fox News, whose OutKick reporters were at the game in San Francisco.

It was the second straight Finals game with the same routine. In Game 1 on Saturday, singer Goapele performed the anthem with neither team on the floor. The teams had warmed up, left the court, and returned seconds after the song ended. OutKick reporter Dan Zaksheske wrote on X that the players were gone for only the two minutes the anthem was played.

What the rulebook says

The WNBA's 2026 official rulebook says players, coaches and trainers are to "stand and line up in a dignified posture" along the sidelines or on the foul line during the playing of the national anthem. On paper, an empty court during the anthem does not match that rule. The league has announced no discipline over either absence, and it has not said whether it considers the walk-offs a violation at all.

Two games, no explanation

Getting an answer has not worked so far. OutKick contacted the WNBA and both teams on Saturday, then followed up on Sunday. None of them answered the anthem questions before Game 2, and the follow-up questions sent ahead of Monday's game went unanswered too. After Game 2, neither team had explained why the players were off the floor, and the New York Post reported that the reason remains unknown.

Atlanta has been here before. In 2020 the Dream issued a team statement saying the anthem "does not represent freedom, justice and liberty for all Americans." The franchise protested the anthem that season as well. Golden State, an expansion team playing its first Finals, has given no reason of its own.

Reaction on X

The absences spread fast on X, where OutKick posted after Game 2: "Same league. Same disrespect." Fans replying to the coverage were blunt, asking why a league rule was not being followed on the sport's biggest stage and why no one from the league would talk about it. Others pointed to Atlanta's long record of anthem protests and said the players were exercising a familiar right to protest. What no one has, two games in, is a word from the teams themselves.

The series moves to Atlanta

On the court on Monday, Atlanta won 79-65 behind 30 points and 16 rebounds from Angel Reese, tying the Finals at one game each. The next two games are in Atlanta. The basketball question is whether the Dream can take control of the series at home. The other question follows the teams east: whether the players will be on the floor when the anthem plays in Game 3, and whether anyone will finally say why they were not for the first two.